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WATCH: Minnesota Leads The Nation in ISIS Recruits

September 29, 2015

Minnesota is responsible for 15 of the 58 people who have joined or attempted to join Islamist terrorist groups, including ISIS in Syria. California and New York have the second most aspiring fighters. The head count was released Tuesday in a report from the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security on preventing foreign fighter travel and recruitment.

“Today we are witnessing the largest global convergence of jihadists in history, as individuals from more than 100 countries have migrated to the conflict zone in Syria and Iraq since 2011.” the report said. “Despite concerted efforts to stem the flow, we have largely failed to stop Americans from traveling overseas to join jihadists.”

The report found something well-documented in the criminal charges against several of Minnesota’s ISIS suspects – that social media played a key role in their recruitment.

“In almost 80 percent of cases, we found examples of U.S. foreign fighter aspirants downloading extremist propaganda, promoting it online, or engaging with other extremists on social media,” the report said.

The committee’s task force on combating terrorist and foreign fighter travel reviewed 58 cases of Americans who joined or attempted to join ISIS in Syria since 2011. Of those 58 “foreign fighter aspirants and recruits,” 15 are identified as Minnesotans: